What am I missing... Or am I missing anything?

[LRBespokeGoods]

I've been having a bit of an issue with my tooling but I've tried several things to sort it with no success.

When I tool or stamp I'm not getting the satisfying burnish on each tool stroke consistently. Initially I thought it was my casing so I've tried several different moisture levels from a little damp to nearly dry, then I considered the amount of pressure on the tool and struck with a range of pressures on the varying moisture levels... Nothing was working so I bought different tooling leather and repeated the process....

Am I going totally quackers and missing something? I also won't be offended if the answer is simply I'm doing something fundamentally wrong.

I'll drop a photo of the piece that started my conundrum in the comments when I work out how to reduce file size on my phone...

Edited February 1 by LRBespokeGoods

[Beehive]

Try slicking the leather before you stamp. Burnish it with denim or glass when it's dry. Case and stamp it. 

Compare the results.

[LRBespokeGoods]

Thanks, I'll give it a go tomorrow.

And I've just seen this is probably in the wrong place... Is it possible to move it?

[Beehive]

You can also burnish it after it's stamped. Same things, denim or glass. If you use glass, it'll level out the highs and lows on basket stamp. Go easy using glass. Irregular shapes, I use denim. 

Edited February 1 by Beehive

[LRBespokeGoods]

@Beehive thanks for the recommendation, it looks great but seems to be the opposite of what I was expecting.

[TonyV]

On 2/1/2025 at 3:09 PM, LRBespokeGoods said:

 I've tried several different moisture levels from a little damp to nearly dry, 

You might need a bit more moisture, depending on what you mean by "little damp".  We can't get a burnish with the stamps unless there is enough, but not too much, moisture inside the leather.  There are many different methods to case the leather, a simple search of "casing leather" on youtube will give you plenty of options, but most of them agree, get it damp enough until it doesn't absorb the water quickly, and then wait long enough for the leather to begin looking like it's dry.  

Of course, too much moisture has its own set of problems, like mushy imprints and cuts, but judging from your statement, I would try more water and a bit more time to let it penetrate to the center.  Trial and error will find the right moisture level and technique.

Edited February 3 by TonyV

[LRBespokeGoods]

Thanks for all the help folks, as it turns out I needed to get the leather what I would call "really wet" so it was almost "squishy" and then let it really dry out for almost 3 hours before getting a reasonable result. Seems rather strange given the last couple of tooled pieces wanted waaay less moisture.

At least I'm learning, even if I have to go back to pulling my hair out from time to time!

[Beehive]

1 hour ago, LRBespokeGoods said:

Thanks for all the help folks, as it turns out I needed to get the leather what I would call "really wet" so it was almost "squishy" and then let it really dry out for almost 3 hours before getting a reasonable result. Seems rather strange given the last couple of tooled pieces wanted waaay less moisture.

At least I'm learning, even if I have to go back to pulling my hair out from time to time!

 

It's happens to the best of us. However, look forward to what you've learned. It's something you can't buy. You gotta earn it. Every step forward is a mile to an inch. 

Keep at it and you'll be rewarded more then you have been.

[Northmount]

Do a test.  Use a piece of leather from the hide you are going to use for a project.  Wet it well with a sponge, or douse it in water, water ever method you want to use to get it fairly moist but not saturated.

You can put it into a bag to case so the moisture content  equalizes through the thickness of the leather.  Some do this, some don't.  Lots of options.

Set it out to dry until it begins to return to close to normal colour.  It should feel cool to your face, means it still has moisture and surface moisture is still evaporating.

Use a couple stamps you intend to use.  Stamp a small area and start keeping track of the time. Every 5 minutes, stamp a new area and record the time.  Keep doing this until the leather is too dry and not stamping to the depth you want or the burnish you want.  Pick the best time that had good depth and burnish.  Use that, follow the same time for your practice or real projects until you get more of a feel for it.

Watch some YouTube videos by Jim Linnell. 

He does a lot of instructional classes at https://elktracksstudio.com/

He normally wets his pieces using a sponge.  The thicker the leather, the more he will apply.  Then talks for a bit while the leather absorbs the moisture and equalizes.  He will then do some tooling while explaining how and what.  As the leather dries, he will sponge some more water on.

There are lots of ways of getting where you want to, to be able to get the depth and burnish you want.  Lots of arguments / discussions about what people think is the beat and only way.

Search for articles and posts by Bob Park.

[Beehive]

The tiny 1-2oz spray pump bottles. The ones that spray a fine mist. They come in handy misting the leather. So if it's a dry hot day or a cold dry day, low humidity. 

Even if you soaked the piece and let it sit overnight. Being perfectly cased. Then halfway through the tooling you noticed it's dried more then like. Impressions ain't coming out like when you first started. Bust out the pump spray. It sprays so little, you'll feel it'd take the entire bottle but it doesn't. 

I personally hold the piece under the faucet in the kitchen sink. Wetting both sides. Then I'll lay it on a plastic plate I use just for casing. Some kind of Halloween serving dish. I cover the plate with a cutting board. Not sealing the leather off. Just a cover to slow evaporation. 

Taken off the plate and let sit for a few minutes. I've done it enough to be able to judge the moisture content. But if a person has difficulty in telling. Include a scrap piece and test your tooling on that before you go off tooling your main piece. 

My little pump sprayer is kinda old. I lube the pump with a drop of mineral oil. Yes, the oil will get into the water. I rinse it fairly well after lubrication. Yes, a tiny-tiny bit of mineral oil gets on the leather. But not enough to matter. 

My pump sprayer had fabric softener in it at one time. So it has a light scent of clean clothes. The smell doesn't linger but it is there. 

Edited February 5 by Beehive